Binding of books



1937. A. J. KITCAT 2,090,796

BINDING OF BOOKS Filed Aug. 20, 1935 INVENTOR ALFRED JAMES KITCAT ma ewg IATTORNEYLS' Patented Aug. 24, 1937 UNETE STATES may PATENT OFFIE Application August 20, 1935, Serial No. 36,946 In Great Britain August 25, 1934 1 Claim.

This invention relates to the binding of books and especially to the lining or stripping of the backs of books prior to the application of the cover. It is at present the usual practice to 5 secure a lining or strip of mull to the back of the book only, by means of a coating of adhesive such as for example glue applied to the back of the book, the lining extending around the end papers and being secured thereto later by the adhesive used to fasten the cover to the book penetrating the open mesh of the mull. A piece of paper is secured over the mull lining by a second coating of glue before the cover is applied. It is desirable in order that the book shall open easily that the back of the book shall be rounded and backed, the latter operation also serving to hold the book in shape and hold it in a stiff boarded cover by means of the joints formed by the process of backing. It is customary to apply a coating of glue before the process so that the book remains in the shape imparted to it. The application of the mull lining and the second lining of paper subsequently to the book being rounded and backed necessitates the use of a complicated and expensive machine unless the lining is applied by hand which is of course a tedious and lengthy process.

In either case three coatings of glue are required.

Alternatively, the lining may be applied when the books are still flat backed prior to backing but in this case the relatively weak mull lining is almost certain to be split during the subsequent operation of rounding and backing.

The chief object of the invention is to enable 5 a book to be satisfactorily roundec and backed subsequently to the application of the lining. It is desirable to employ a lining stronger than the mull hitherto used and more flexible than the combined linings of mull and paper, stronger to give greater strength to the hinge of the end papers and to the back of the book, and more flexible to make the book open more easily and lessen the strain on the binding caused by opening the book. The use of a stronger ma- 45 terial than mull necessitates attaching the lining to the end papers before the case is attached to the book, since the stronger material, being more closely woven, will not permit the adhesive used for attaching the case to penetrate through the 50 lining to the end papers. This process would be difi'icult after the books have been backed, and it is proposed to apply this lining while the books are flat. Since the backs of the books are spread when they are backed it becomes necessary 55 to make creases or pleats in the lining before it is attached to the back of the book to allow for this spread. This obviates the use of such an expensive machine and with the application of two coats only of glue (one to the strip and one to the book) provides a .book having greater strength at the hinges of the end papers and a more flexible back than those hitherto constructed and thus reduces the risk of the back of the book being broken by a reader when opening the .book, which action is liable to lever the various sections apart and away from the lining.

A book according to the invention is provided with a lining or strip of calico or other suitable relatively strong and flexible material, the lining being secured by glue or other adhesive to the back of the book prior to the rounding and backing operations, the lining or strip having a series of creases or pleats formed therein over the whole or a-portion of its area, which creases or pleats are automatically flattened out during the subsequent rounding and backing operations and thereby allow the back of the book to spread without risk of splitting the lining.

With the method according to the invention the sections do not break apart in the process of backing because the strip or lining is attached to the back of each section and allows it to move away from the sections on either side only fractionally.

The application of the lining or strip to the back of the book can be readily performed on relatively inexpensive and existing machines with but small modification, the machines employed being an ordinary book-back glueing machine which applies glue to the back of the book and a back-stripping machine which in addition to attaching the strip to the coating of glue on the back of the book, also applies adhesive to the strip over either the whole of its surface, over the centre portion which is to engage the back of the book or over the edges which are to be secured to the end papers.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into eiiect, the same will now be more fully described with refference to the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a book having a lining or strip securedin position upon the back, the book being in a flat backed condition.

Figure 2 is a view of the same book after being rounded.

Figure 3 is a view of the same book after being backed.

Figure 4 is a transverse section drawn to an enlarged scale of a device for forming creases or pleats in the lining or strip.

Figure 5 is a plan view of one of the members constituting the creasing or pleating device.

Figure 6 is a transverse section drawn to an enlarged scale on the line 6-6 in Figure 5.

Figure 7 shows diagrammatically the apparatus employed for creasing or pleating the strip, coating the strip with adhesive, and severing the strip after being secured in position.

In the accompanying drawing reference numeral l designates a book to the back of which has been applied a lining or strip 2 of calico or other suitable material, creases or pleats 3 having been formed in the lining or strip prior to its application to the back of the book. In Figure l the book is shown in a flat backed condition the strip or lining being shown glued in position thereon. Figure 2 shows the book after having been rounded in the usual manner, whilst in Figure 3 the book is shown in a backed condition, i. e., the back of the book has been spread, the creases or pleats in the strip or lining having disappeared or substantially so. The creases or pleats as shown in Figures 1 and 2 preferably do not extend across the full width of the strip, the edges 4 of the strip which are to be secured by adhesive to the end papers being substantially flat and uncreased. The creases or pleats are formed in the lining or strip prior to application to the book back, and in Figiues 4-6 is shown a device for forming the creases or pleats in the lining or strip either before or after the application of the glue or other adhesive thereto. The device consists of two plates 5 and 6 formed with interengaging projections l and grooves 8, between which plates the lining or strip is adapted to be drawn in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 5. The projections 1 are disposed in parallel relationship and as shown in Figure 5 are preferably arranged in echelon formation. With this arrangement a crease or pleat is thus first formed along the centre of the lining or strip further creases or pleats being subsequently formed progressively outwardly towards each edge of the lining during its passage between the two co-operating members, the lining being thereby drawn inwardly towards its centre as the creases are formed.

In Figure 4 the members are shown spaced apart for the purpose of illustration, a lining or strip in a creased or pleated condition being shown in position between the members, but in actual practice the two members are urged more closely towards each other so as to exert a gripping pressure on the lining. In order to prevent any tendency of the lining binding unduly when being drawn between the members, it is preferred that the projections and recesses shall be only in firm engagement with the lining throughout a small proportion of their length. With this arrangement the lining is only gripped initially to an extent sufiicient to form the creases or pleats, the pressure exerted upon the creased part of the strip being subsequently relaxed. This object is attached by filing or otherwise reducing the efiective height of the projections along the greater part of their length as in the case of the central projection shown in Figure 6. The projections are reduced in height only a relatively small amount from a point a little to the rear of the forward extremities of the adjacent outer projections. With this arrangement the leading extremities of the projections grip the lining with a sufficient pressure to produce the creases or pleats, the pressure being relaxed to a certain extent during subsequent movement of the lining between the members. It is preferred that the leading extremities of the projections shall be chamfered or otherwise shaped to constitute a lead to facilitate entry of the lining between the members. By reducing the effective height of the projections the lining is gripped first between the central projection and its cooperating recess. The lining thereafter comes into contact with the two adjacent outer projections immediately after which point the pressure of the central projection is relaxed. With this arrangement the lining after passing the extremity of the central projection is gripped by two projections only at one time during its subsequent passage between the members the drag of the lining being thereby reduced.

Figure '7 shows diagrammatically the arrangement of mechanism for creasing and glueing the lining or strip and applying the lining or strip to the backs of a series of books. The lining 2 is fed from a roll 9 to the creasing or pleating device 5 and 6 and thence comes into contact with a roller or other device ill for applying glue or other adhesive to the lining, the glued and creased lining being then brought into contact with the backs of the books I which have been already coated with glue and which may be conveniently fed into position upon a suitable moving platform or conveyor H, on the back-stripping machine. The lining after application is severed by means of a guillotine or other suitable knife [2, the books being thereafter rounded and backed in the usual manner. When a glueing roller is used it is preferred that the roller shall be grooved or corrugated circumferentially to correspond to the creases already formed in the strip so as to prevent the creases being flattened out, on the strip coming into contact with the roller, and also to enable an even coating of glue to be applied, the pleater and glueing roller being arranged reasonably near to the point at which the strip is applied to the book backs so as to obviate any tendency for the pleats or creases to flatten out after leaving the glueing roller. If necessary a grooved or corrugated wiper or roller may co-operate with the glueing roller to assist in retaining the pleats or creases, the strip being drawn between the two grooved members. Although it is preferred to crease or pleat the lining before glueing, this may if necessary be done after the glueing operation.

The creasing or pleating device may if desired be applied to an ordinary back-stripping machine. The parts of the creasing or pleating device may be urged together by spring pressure or in any other suitable manner and instead of the two co-operating plates the device may be in the form of a roller co-operating with a further roller or other member, the two members having a series of inter-engaging grooves and projections, the roller or rollers being driven either by frictional engagement with the lining or strip or by means of a suitable source of power. If desired the sheets of the book may be stitched after the application of the lining or strip to the back of the book.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In the process of binding a book involving a rounding and backing operation, the steps consisting in providing a strip of textile material with a plurality of longitudinal creases intermediate the side edges thereof, then, preparatory to the rounding and backing operation, applying a length of said creased strip by adhesive longitudinally to the back of the book with a predetermined sufilcient portion of the area of the strip intended to come into contact with said back of the book creased to provide the strip with the necessary capacity and fullness to allow the back of said book to fully spread to intended proportions in the subsequent rounding and backing operation, and finally causing the spreading of said striptransversely to full capacity into a practically uncreased condition in the rounding and backing operation.

ALFRED JAMES KITCAT. 

